A Ripe Galaxy
by BlindJedi
Summary: Dooku's thoughts after the battle at the end of AOTC.


A Ripe Galaxy  
  
by Scott Cruce  
  
a.k.a. BlindJedi  
scottcruce@telocity.com  
  
Episode II Spoilers, mainly from the book as well as a few thrown in rumors. If you haven't read the book, it is a pretty good read, despite the fact that it is written by the horrible author who had the nerve to kill off Chewbacca.  
  
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A growl, the clench of a fist, and the intricate communications array crumpled in to a grizzly looking metallic cheese. Anyone who could have seen the sweat and blood caked individual who slouched in a murderous rage behind the controls of the sail-shaped starship would have been hard put to it to recognize him as the cool and collected spokesman of the separatists, Count Dooku.   
  
His anger not sated in the least, he continued to glare laserbolts at the destroyed instrumentation as if daring it to contradict his temperament.  
  
Yoda! How he hated that name. Yoda! Master Yoda! His former master, Yoda! That thrice-cursed Jedi Master Yoda! Yoda had at least partially foiled his plans of the day; not the plans of those idiotic separatists, but the ultimate plans that the Sith had been cultivating for the past ten years.  
  
He was supposed to have killed Kenobi. His master had ordered it. Both Sith Lords, for that is what Dooku really was, had felt the ultimate release of anger and hatred in to the Force only a few days before. Both of them had known who the feelings had come from. How could they not know? After all, the foolish Jedi weren't the only ones with a prophecy of the Chosen One! Besides, his master had kept a closer eye on the Skywalker boy every since he had first been made a Jedi Padawan after proving himself at the Battle of Naboo all those years before. His master had then shown him how to recognize the boy's signature from that of any other being in the galaxy. However, Dooku did not need to be shown. Once he had first known of the boy from his master, he had immediately been able to feel that raw well of power that resonated so clearly from Coruscant.  
  
None of that mattered now, though. His ultimate plan to kill Kenobi before the boy's eyes had backfired on him with nearly fatal results to the Sith Lord. He had bested Kenobi who had destroyed the last apprentice, Darth Maul, at the Battle of Naboo. He had defeated him with relative ease. Only the timely recovery of Skywalker had stopped his killing thrust mere inches above the prone Jedi Master.  
  
This had amused Dooku, or Darth Tyranus as he should properly be called now, at first. The Padawan's initial rush, after all, had been more pathetic than anything Tyranus had ever seen before. It had taken only a casual wave of a hand, a short burst of Force lightning, and the Padawan had been dazed completely, leaving his master to deal with the Sith Lord alone.  
  
Thus, when Skywalker rejoined the fight, he expected a short and decisive victory over the boy. Skywalker had surprised him, though. The boy had fought him well, driving the more experienced fighter backward across the floor of the hangar with apparent ease. Not only that, he had summoned his master's fallen saber and taken on the Sith with two blades, something unheard of for a Jedi.   
  
Yet, in the end, Tyranus's experience and his cunning had enabled him to disarm Skywalker; literally disarm him, the Sith smirked now. He had taken off the boy's arm just above the elbow. He then proceeded to taunt the boy, asking him how such a week boy ever hoped to live up to his status as the chosen one.  
  
he'd planned to kill the boy next, despite his master's wishes. He had even gone so far as to draw back the saber to do it.  
  
he had been so focused on Kenobi and Skywalker that he had ignored the presence that should have sang out to him through the Force like a braying of trumpets. And he had lost his chance to kill anyone.  
  
If only Yoda could have waited another few seconds.  
  
Thinking back to his fight with his former master, Tyranus realized that he hadn't stood a chance at all of defeating Yoda from the beginning. he had thought that his Force lightning would have surprised the venerable Jedi, but again he had been mistaken. At least he'd had the chance to distract the little troll long enough for him, Tyranus, to escape.   
  
Still, the more he thought about the explosive events of the previous hours, the calmer he became. After all, hundreds of Jedi had fallen to the superior numbers of battle droids. Even the great Mace Windu had barely escaped from the great bounty hunter. And more importantly than the deaths of dozens of Jedi Knights, the clone armies his master had so skillfully constructed were now considered the saviors of the galaxy and would solidify his master's position of power. Yes, he had failed to kill Masters Yoda and Kenobi, and even the belligerent padawan, Skywalker. However, he was not worried. He knew he would meet all of them again and this time he would be better prepared. Perhaps this time, his glorious master would even accompany him and look on as the greatest threats among the Jedi were destroyed by the mighty apprentice.  
  
His computer beeped alerting him that he had reached his destination. Moments later, he had exited hyperspace and dropped his small ship below the normal traffic lanes of Coruscant. then, he was guiding it in to a crumbling warehouse. He felt his breath quicken as he noted the cloaked and hooded figure that waited for him in the shadows.  
  
"The mission is a success, My Master," Tyranus reported smoothly as he exited his ship and went to join the figure in the shadows.  
  
"Ahhh, welcome home, Lord Tyranus," Darth Sidious purred.  
  
As they continued to stroll through the warehouse and talk, Darth Tyranus, once the respected and honored Jedi Master, Count Dooku, felt the familiar rush of excitement that he always experienced when he was by his master's side. Together, he knew, nothing in the galaxy could stand in their way. At last, all his dreams of a new order would come to pass, without the interference of the foolish and inept Jedi. Yes, all the moves were nearly complete. Soon, the change would come and the galaxy would welcome it. And, the Sith Lord thought grimly, the Jedi would meet their destruction. it was only a matter of time.  
  
And time was something of which he had plenty to spare.  
  
End for Now 


End file.
